Extraños en la Noche

Extraños en la Noche [x-STRAH-nyohs in lah KNOW-chay] is Strangers in the Night in Spanish. Go ahead, try it… couple of extra syllables, but works pretty well. It’s one of the songs The Vargas Brothers, er, Los Hermanos Vargas performed Friday night at J.R. Ribs. That was a fun night!!! Extraño, muy extraño… but fun.

Last week, just before Christmas, I saw an ad in a Costa Rica online forum. Seems a band was looking for a female country singer. That would be me. I’ll sing anything, but country, bluegrass? Now that’s real music.

So I called the guy, Peter. (Guess what? He’s a geezer.) We decide I’ll come to his house and sing a few bars. Last Friday morning, I did, we hit it off. He tells me Blue Desert – that’s the band’s name – has a gig that night at J.R.’s. So I put on eye-makeup, big earrings and show up, not really knowing what to expect.

It was an unusual night… altered-state unusual. First off, Peter is Dutch. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. His last name is van Zijll de Jong. I can’t even say it. Thank goodness he emailed it to me or I could never have spelled it. Try sounding that out. The other main guy is Fred who is also Dutch. I don’t know Fred’s last name, but I won’t be able to say it so what difference does it make?

We get to J.R.s and there are about 10 people there, but it’s only 7pm on a Friday. Turns out all 10 are with Peter and Fred. They are all Dutch, too. Half of them are Fred’s family, visiting him and his wife, Aunk (it’s pronounced just like you think), for the holidays; the other half live in Costa Rica. The half that lives here speaks fluent Spanish. Everyone speaks fluent English. What happened to U.S. schooling that we only learn one language (barely) and are so completely uppity about it?

And does this crowd speak English when they get together? Of course not. They speak Dutch. And they are just going on and on. Have you ever heard Dutch? It’s foreign. Like German only way more musical, thank goodness. I have no idea what they are talking about, but I don’t feel left out. It is fascinating and everyone is just lovely.

Turns out, Blue Desert is sharing the gig with Los Hermanos Vargas who specialize in, of all things, 60s music! Strangers (maybe technically it is 60s…) is translated into Spanish as are a couple of other songs. But mostly they sing in English: Wooly Bully, Twist ‘n Shout, I Started A Joke… and I Saw Her Standing There, one of my all-time Beatles’ faves:

They do a set, we do a set. I’ve never heard Fred’s and Peter’s arrangements but it doesn’t matter… we muddle through, it’s fun. They are happy with me, I’m happy with them. They are really good musicians, lively, musical – and they sing tons of Willie Nelson – even with a Dutch accent, it sounds great. I may have an authentic twang, but they have authentic sound. I’m very happy with the whole thing!

By the time we get to the second Vargas set, the place is about half full, about 60 people. Half of them are ticos, half are Dutch. A group of 18 Dutch people came in for dinner to hear the Dutch country group sing. (See? Altered state.) It dawns on me I’m the only gringo in the place, gringo being someone whose native language is English. I’m it. Her. That’s rare… even here.

So I’m singing for the first time with a country band made up of Dutch guys and a tico drummer in a tico restaurant downtown San José on a Friday night with a half tico half Dutch audience, me the only gringa, sitting at a table where 90% of the conversation is in Dutch, 5% Spanish and 5% English. And that 5% is only for my benefit. It was really strange. And fun. I can’t wait to do it again.

6 Comments

james
on December 29, 2008 at 6:38 am

You aren’t in Kansas anymore, huh?…or, in your case, Key West. I have always enjoyed finding myself in such culturally diverse situations. That is one reason I moved to Miami 26 years ago and why I will retire to my Costa Rican property when the time comes. I speak more Spanish here in Miami than I do english.
The funny thing is, now, when I spend time in the Keys, I find myself enjoying being back among my own cutlure and language for a brief time again. (I am originally from Ohio)I spent last week in Summerland Key, not far from Key West. All english speaking, white, anglo saxon Americans…everywhere (except for the tourist crowds on Duvall Street).
It has become a unique experience for me when I am not sticking out like a sore thumb as I do in Miami or Costa Rica. I have never totally gotten used to being one of a few gringos in Miami and one of even fewer gringos in Costa Rica. It feels good to “come home” again, once in a while. It reminds me to appreciate the culture in which I grew up. I am no big fan of country music, but I had my car radio tuned in to the country station while I drove around the lower Keys scouting out kayak launch spots.

Arp, these guys know that country began as an off-shoot of Irish folk music… one of the songs I sang was Danny Boy. There are musicians everywhere, I’ve found. So… you’ll be the Indian guy singing Irish folk?
Hi James – I realize we haven’t been back to Key West in awhile now… it will feel weird to have almost no Spanish spoken, no signs in Spanish… the good roads, I get used to quickly. But the language is weird. Last time I was there, I’d say gracias at the grocery store, buenas when I greeted people. And I always go to kiss people when I see them which ‘mericans find suspicious. Funny! No, definitely not in Kansas anymore!!!

Gracias, Jen! My guy Peter lives in your neck of the woods but not quite so far from San José. It’s beautiful out there. Living in gringolandia, you forget that it’s a different world out there. And it’s compelling…